North America

Sources said that the Federal Aviation Administration made the decision to temporarily close El Paso Airport due to safety concerns regarding testing of a laser-based 'counter-drone' technology at nearby U.S. Army Fort Bliss. This was not the first incident where the problem affected flights. The FAA and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security reported that in March, when the U.S. Secret Service tested counter-drone tech near Reagan Washington National Airport, it led to faulty alerts for aircraft potentially close by. Senator Ted Cruz. Cruz, the chair of the Senate Commerce Committee revealed at an hearing last year that the government...

Three sources who are directly familiar with the matter have confirmed that CME Group will approve Taiwan and Hong Kong to be warehouse locations for aluminum. This is as the U.S. commodity exchange intensifies its competition against the London Metal Exchange (LME) Asia. The new locations planned would be a major expansion for CME, as the region accounted last year for two thirds of the global production of metals used in packaging and transportation. CME's Asian warehouse footprint is currently limited to Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea. C. Steinweg and Pacorini Global Services, warehouse operators in Taiwan's port of Kaohsiung...

Bombardier Canada announced on Wednesday that Dubai's Vista Global, a?private jet provider based in Dubai, has placed an order for 40 Challenger 3500 business jets worth $1.18 billion. Bombardier stated that the order includes a?option for an additional 120 aircraft, which would bring a total value of 160 planes to approximately $4.72 billion. The deal is part of a sustained 'demand for private flying', which has swollen the?order books of business jet manufacturers. The Challenger 3500, an upscaled version of Bombardier's Challenger 350 Business Jet that seats up to ten passengers, is a variant of the Challenger 350. Bombardier is...

A court in India has sentenced an Indian journalist to a year's imprisonment for his posts on social media about the Adani Group. The court said that the posts were?unverified, defamatory, and painted the group in a negative light. Adani Enterprises led by billionaire Gautam Adani filed a case against India journalist Ravi Nair at a Gujarat district court in 2021, accusing him for making statements that suggested "political.. patronage... financial irregularities and unethical.. conduct", according to an order.. seen on Tuesday. The court's order stated that "no documentary material, official records, or verified data have been produced" to support...

New York City has sued Extra Space Storage, one of the biggest owners of self storage space in the U.S., for "predatory practices" and bait-and switch pricing. It also accused it of letting its units suffer from vermin, water damage, and mold. The Department of Consumer and Worker Protection of the city accused Extra 'Space of violating false advertisement laws on Tuesday by misleading consumers with low prices for storage units, which it falsely claimed were "clean" and pest-free. According to the lawsuit?Extra Space "dramatically raised" prices shortly after many consumers moved in their belongings, often without prior notice. Some...

The Irish cabinet gave its formal approval on Tuesday for a law that would scrap a cap on passengers at Dublin Airport. This has led to calls from U.S. airlines to restrict Irish airline flights to the United States. Transport Minister Darragh O'Brien wants the law that would give the government power to raise the cap to be passed as soon as possible by the parliament. Local planners have set a 32-million passenger limit for the airport. However, the cap is suspended until the Court of Justice of the European Union rules on the airport's?compliance to EU regulations. Last year,...

Donald Trump, the U.S. president, threatened on Monday to prevent the opening of a new $4.7 billion bridge linking Detroit and Windsor,?Ontario, as his latest salvo in a trade dispute with Canada. Trump cited Canada as the owner of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, Canada's refusal to stock certain U.S. alcoholic drinks on Canadian shelves, Canada’s tariffs on milk products, and its trade negotiations with China. Canada financed the bridge because the U.S. refused. It is expected to open within the next few months. Tolls will cover the costs over a period of 30 years. Trump posted on Twitter: "I...

A proposal document released on Monday showed that the European Union had proposed to extend its sanctions against Russia?to include ports located in Georgia and Indonesia which handle Russian oil. This would be the first time for the bloc to target ports in a third country. The EU proposal was reviewed by and would add Kulevi, in Georgia, and Karimun, in Indonesia, to the list of sanctions, barring EU individuals and companies from transacting with either port. These measures are part of 'EU's 20th package of sanctions over Russia's conflict in Ukraine. The package, which was jointly drafted and presented...

Renault announced on 'Friday that it would appeal the decision of a German court which ruled in favour of the United States. In a dispute over patent rights, Broadcom has requested that Renault stop selling two of its best-selling cars. A regional court in Munich ruled that Renault did not have the right to use certain Ethernet network cable connections on its Clio and Megane models. Renault said in a press release that it would file an appeal without delay. Broadcom?added the fact that the?injunction against sales in Germany would only be effective after certain conditions are met. Renault also...

The German business magazine WirtschaftsWoche reported that a German court ordered French 'carmaker Renault to stop the sale of its 'Megane and Clio models due to a dispute with U.S. tech group Broadcom over patent rights. According to the magazine, the regional court of Munich found that Renault did not have a 'license' for certain ethernet cable connections on 'the two models. The court in Munich did not respond immediately to a comment request. Renault was not available for a comment immediately. The WirtschaftsWoche?also stated that the ruling would not be enforced until a deposit of "several millions" of Euros...

In response to a chronic shortage of air traffic controllers in the United States, the Office of Inspector General of U.S. 'Transportation Department announced on Thursday that it would open a?a??probe into high failure rate among air traffic control training trainees. The Trump administration has promised to act to combat a chronic shortage of air traffic control personnel. About 3,500 air traffic control positions are not filled by the FAA. The FAA's air-traffic control training academy is facing serious problems. Many of its trainees are working six-day work weeks and mandatory overtime. Inspector General said that "attrition, retirements and 'program...

Three Democratic U.S. Senators asked Thursday the Transportation Department if the head the Federal 'Aviation Administration had sold 'his -shares in Republic Airways, and if he would be forced to forfeit any gains resulting from not selling before a divestment deadline. Bryan Bedford, FAA Administrator, said in 'December that he had not sold his shares of Republic. However he would continue to recuse him from any issues which could affect the airline's finances while he worked to sell his holdings. Senator Maria Cantwell claimed that Bedford, the former CEO of Republic Airlines, violated his ethics agreement because he hadn't completed...

Separatists are launching a petition drive in Alberta to trigger an independence vote. The western province has complained for years that the rest of Canada is holding back its economy. Volunteer canvassers hope to collect 177,000 signatures by May 2, or 10% of registered voters in the province, which is the required threshold to launch a citizen led referendum on separation from Canada. The campaign is unlikely to lead to an independent 'Alberta', but it does challenge Prime Minister Mark Carney in his efforts to present a united Canadian face in response to President Donald Trumps tariffs and threats to...

Officials said that Russia bombarded?Ukraine overnight with ballistic missiles and drones, further damaging its energy system. Tens of thousands of people in Kyiv, Dnipro, and Odesa were left without heat, electricity, and water. Russia's winter campaign of strikes against Ukraine's electricity grid has intensified, forcing major cities to endure long periods of darkness and cold in freezing temperatures. Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kyiv, stated that the city's apartment buildings lacked heating Thursday, after the latest attack cut off the supply to 2,600 high rises. This is on top 1,100 apartments already affected by previous strikes. DTEK, a private energy...

Rosaviatsia, the aviation regulator in Russia, said that Russia will 'fly its tourists out of Cuba within the next few days and then suspend all flights till a jet-fuel shortage subsides. Both airlines have said that they will only operate passenger flights in order to bring tourists home from Cuba. The?administration of U.S. president Donald Trump has declared Cuba a "unusual and exceptional threat" to U.S. security, and announced that the communist-run Island will no longer be receiving oil from Venezuela. Washington has threatened?impose tariffs on other fuel suppliers like Mexico if they continue to supply fuel to the island....

David Armellini, owner of a Florida trucking firm, is paying an extra 20% for each additional driver he hires to transport fresh-cut Valentine's Day Flowers to wholesale florists and grocery distribution centers across the country. If sellers pass on the increased cost, it could result in a slight increase in price for a bouquet at this weekend. Armellini believes that it could be an indication of the end of the U.S.'s longest and deepest trucking slump. Shippers across the United States are paying more to truck flowers, ?fresh ?produce, and other temperature-sensitive cargo, after deep cold this winter hiked demand...

Authorities reported that three?people died and several were injured in shootings 'in two areas of Indonesian's easternmost region, Papua. This included?near operations of Freeport - Indonesia, a gold & copper miner. Police spokesman Cahyo Sukanrito?said that the pilot and copilot of a Smart Air small commercial plane were killed when assailants fired on it as it landed on Korowai Airport in Boven Digoel province, South Papua, on Wednesday. In addition to the pilots, there were 13 other passengers on board. He said that when the shooting began, both the pilots as well as the passengers fled the plane into a...

These are the 'top stories' on the New York Times?business?pages. These stories have not been?verified? and we cannot vouch for the accuracy of these reports. Elon Musk, the CEO of xAI (his artificial intelligence company), told his employees on Tuesday that he needed a factory to be built on 'the moon' to build AI satellites, and a'massive rocket to launch them into space. According to a source familiar with the deal, Britney Spears has sold her entire music catalogue. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) halted Tuesday all flights to and from the 'El Paso International Airport' in Texas, citing "special security"...

U.S. officials have found no evidence that malicious communication equipment is embedded in Chinese inverters used in the nation's power grid, according to an Energy Department?report. Inverters are devices that convert the electricity produced by solar panels and batteries into electrical power for use in appliances. The inverters are designed to be remotely accessible for maintenance and updates. The majority of power inverters in the world are manufactured in China. In part, this is due to the tense relationship between Beijing and Washington and concerns about national security. The DOE analysis was done in response to media reports stating that...

Microsoft said that it is looking into using superconducting electricity lines in its data centres, as they could make them more energy efficient and accelerate the massive U.S. expansion of its server warehouses. Big Tech's?effort?to?quickly build?and?electrify?giant data centers?across?the?U.S. The aging power grid and limited electricity supply in the United States have slowed down efforts to expand technologies such as artificial intelligence. Microsoft says that recent tests on high-temperature, superconductor cable have shown the cables can deliver the equivalent amount of power as traditional cables with less space. Husam Alissa leads the Systems Technology Team at Microsoft's CO+I CTO Office. It...

On Monday, a U.S. Judge in New York temporarily put her decision on hold. This forced the Trump Administration to lift the four-month-old federal funding freeze for the $16 Billion Hudson River Tunnel Project that connects New York City and New Jersey. U.S. district judge Jeannette Vargas had on Friday ordered that the funding be reinstated. Justice Department warned that it would have to pay up to $200m in funding for the Gateway Tunnel project by Monday at 1pm (1800 GMT), unless Vargas' order was halted. Vargas said that she would delay her order until Thursday, at?5 p.m., to allow...

CPC Blend crude, for February loading, is trading at the biggest discount to Brent since late 2022, as buyers are holding back following a'months-long period of export disruptions including field outages and bad weather, and Ukrainian drone strikes, according to four traders. The main route of export for Kazakh oil via the Caspian Pipeline Consortium has been interrupted repeatedly, leading to large cancellations. The traders reported that several February-loading CPC blend cargoes were sold at Brent minus $5 per barrel. The traders added that the discount had narrowed this week due to a new demand for more attractive prices. The...

Bloomberg News, citing executives from PJM Interconnection who spoke at a meeting, reported that the U.S. grid operators warned of a 'potential shortfall in power supply of up to 60 gigawatts if demand for data centers continues to rise. They said that unless unprecedented action is taken to help support the construction of new power plants, a shortfall will occur. The tens and tens of Gigawatts that PJM is waiting to connect are largely data centers needed by Big Tech for its artificial intelligence expansion. The grid operator announced last month a framework for handling the massive energy-consuming projects just...

Williams Companies has been exploring the possibility of buying natural gas production in the United States. This is a rare move for an energy infrastructure provider, but it's a way to ensure natural gas supplies to support the one-stop shop offering that the company offers to data center and hyperscaler clients. Three people familiar with the matter said that Williams Companies, based in Oklahoma, has been positioning itself to be a leader when it comes to providing energy for companies developing artificial intelligence infrastructure. Williams is looking for upstream assets to allow it to position itself as an energy partner...